The Reign of Josephine

At the intersection of vintage and cyberspace, Josephine Pearl Lee takes After Party by Nasty Gal on a trip to the matrix.

Mark Twain said, “There is no such thing as an original idea.” Mark Twain also never had an iPhone. If he did, he’d probably be following Josephine Pearl Lee, widely known online by her handles @princessgollum and @wifislilangel. Those familiar with her work know that the 24-year-old has been redefining avant-garde and turning the fashion and music worlds on their heads for years. If you live in L.A. and have ever been anywhere after 1 A.M., you’ve seen her DJ. We sat down with the style aristocrat to chat in the only way that felt appropriate–via e-mail. Check out what Josephine thinks about ditching your brows, getting inspired, and “always staying tru” after the jump.

What does a typical day look like for you?Wake up, slay, pray, sleep, repeat.

You do a lot of different things. How do you describe your profession?If you need me to stand in front of the camera, I got you! You need me to DJ your funeral, I got you! Need me to dress you too, I got you. I guess the world calls that being a model/DJ/stylist or whatever, but I just think of it as doing things I like doing while making money and spreading light along the way. I’m just me, a nasty working gal.

Where do you pull inspiration from? What part of life inspires you the most?I pull inspiration from anything, everywhere. One thing I try to constantly check myself on is not subconsciously pulling looks from other people’s work or using it as my own, but really understanding the look and background of it. I know creating something new is impossible at this time, but I never want to put something out that’s been done exactly or [that is] a replica. I hate that shit.

Has dating become easier or harder since your career has started popping off?Dating is always hard. My head isn’t there right now, neither is my heart.

What’s the most surprising truth about you?I’m better IRL than URL.

In 2016, do you feel like it’s better to be a multi-artist and do a bit of everything or focus your energy on perfecting a single medium?It’s honestly a little bit of both! I’m working on some things low-key that I’m really excited about and that I’m putting my main focus on, but I also want to do all the things I’ve been doing.

What’s one thing you wish you could go back in time and tell yourself before your work started getting noticed?keep pushin thru ++ always stay tru

Lastly, what’s next for you?Keep evolving into the person I’m meant to be.